Yes We Can

Yes We Can

            Adolescent bullying is certainly nothing new and neither is homosexuality, which is why the recent trend of queer youths committing suicide is so troubling.  It’s become such a problem many are pushing for anti-bullying laws.  It’s not just the bullying that hurts queer youth, it’s also religious rejection.  Many queer teens are brought up in household where it is not acceptable to be gay.  Queer youth need to know that they are accepted and loved and have adults who support them.                                                            I wish I could say evangelical Christians were becoming more accepting of homosexuality, but that’s simply not true.  Former presidential candidate Michelle Bauchmann’s husband runs a “pray away the gay” clinic, and former presidential candidate Rick Perry ran an extremely homophobic ad, luckily however its one of the most disliked videos on YouTube. 

            Huffington Post article “Religion, Family, and Gay Teen Suicide” author Aaron Anson tries to understand the current situations.  Anson begins by talking about a teen who killed himself.  The teen, Anson notes, was brought up in a very religious and prejudicial family.  Anson goes further, “This appears to be a common thread among every gay suicide I've had to ponder. Deep in the fabric of the pain that pushes them to take their own lives is hate, more than likely 
"justified" by the misguided religious beliefs of others. Most media attention tends to focus on peer bullying as a major factor, and I agree with that to an extent. But often overlooked is the impact of the hateful bullying that takes place right in our own homes.”  If a teen is bullied at school and then rejected at home, where can they turn to be loved and supported? Anson firmly believes that “Healing has to begin in our homes.” 

            As bleak as the religious front may seem, there is hope.  A survey conducted by Pew Forum asked many denominations whether homosexuality should be accepted by society, and the majority of denominations overwhelmingly agreed.  Mainline churches agreed at 56 percent, Catholics with 58 percent, other Christians at 69 percent, Jews with 79 percent, Buddhists at 82 percent, other faiths with 84 percent, and unaffiliated at 71.  Not only that but the Episcopalian Church was the first to appoint openly gay priest Gene Robinson as a Bishop.  Also in a seminar “American Catholics in the Twenty-First Century” professor and practicing Catholic Michele Dillon stated that while the older generation in the church is not accepting of homosexuality, the majority of young members are very accepting of homosexuality and this will soon change the Catholic perception of homosexuality as a sin. 

            Many queer youth struggle with their home lives and often find themselves targets of bullying for being gay or even appearing gay.  In her article “Bullying, Harassment, and Violence Among Students” Nan Stein points out that while there is “zero tolerance” in schools this does not include gender based bullying.  She writes, “Sexual or gender harassment rarely show up in any of the standard analyses of school violence. Gender is missing.”  Gender and sexuality are absolutely missing from protecting teens against bullying.  Instead of zero tolerance Stein suggests “zero indifference.” While her ideas are great some would be hard to implement, but schools should absolutely train staff on the issues of gender bullying, provide compassionate responses and counseling to the harasser and victim, and treat gender bullying in the same way as bullying.

            John D’emilio discusses the hardships of coming out and even just being gay in a heterosexist society in his article “Homosexuality and American Society: An Overview.”

He writes, “’Coming out’ – recognizing one’s homosexual desires, subsequently attempting to act upon them… was a lonely, difficult, and sometimes excruciatingly painful experience… Lesbians and homosexuals grew up with the male/female couple as their only model of intimate erotic relationships.”  While it’s true our society is heterosexist for the most part, many celebrities are coming out and several very popular shows feature loving and erotic homosexual relationships.

            While its nearly impossible to change society overnight.  We can create a society that is more accepting and understanding through better sex education, more comprehensive anti-bullying measure, churches becoming more accepting, and mainstream media as more gay friendly.  We can stop this queer teen suicide epidemic. 

Works Citied

1.) Anson, Aaron. "Religion, Family, and Gay Teen Suicide." The Huffington Post. 17 Jan. 2012. Web. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aaron-anson/gay-teen-suicide_b_1204852.html>.

2.) "Comparative Religions - U.S. Religious Landscape Study - Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life." Religion in American Culture -- Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Web. 09 Feb. 2012. <http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons>.

3.) D'emilio, John. "Homosexuality and American Society: An Overview." Sexual Politics, Sexual, Communities in the United States 1940-1970 (1983). Print.

4.) Dilion, Michele. "American Catholics in the Twenty-First Century." American Catholics in the Twenty-First Century. First Presbyterian Church, Santa Barbara. 19 Jan. 2012. Lecture.

5.) Stein, Nan. "Bullying, Harassment and Violence among Students." Radical Teacher 80 (2007). Print.